Broken Well Pumps in Durham: Ask JD Services

Here at JD Service Now, Heating, and Air Conditioning, we hope to be more than just a full service home contractor ,we want to be your go-to resource for information on your home’s plumbing and HVAC systems. That’s why we put our heads together in this interview to put everything we know about well pumps in the Durham area out on the table! This information could be very important for maintaining and protecting the water supply in your home.

Plus, you can always call JD Service Now, Heating, and Air Conditioning for a well pump or water conditioning consultation for your very own home. Our experts will arrive on-time and ready to provide for any of your needs. Does your home rely on a private well for water? Then make sure to read the information below:

Interview with the Experts: Well Pumps in Durham, NC

We sat down with John Dietz, owner of JD Service Now, as well as Aaron and Michael from the company, to talk about the importance of well pumps in Durham and the surrounding East Durham areas.

QUESTION: First of all, tell me about JD.

JOHN: We’re JD Service Now, Heating, and Air Conditioning, and we’re a full service company, that means we provide maintenance service on existing equipment as well as repairs, replacements, and new installations of plumbing and HVAC appliances. For over a decade now, we’ve served the Durham and Raleigh areas as well as surrounding cities such as Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, and Hillsborough. We’re hear to talk about well pumps because we recognize that many homeowners in this service area, what we call “The Triangle,” rely on well pumps for clean running water, and we want to be there to provide repairs should they ever experience issues.

QUESTION: How many people in the Durham area need well pump services?

JOHN: In Durham area and Durham County, roughly 15 to 20 thousand households service 40,000 people with wells. That’s just in this area, inside the city itself, most people get their water from the public system, but the outlying Durham communities will all typically need well pumps and well pump services.

QUESTION: Let’s start at the basics, what does a well pump do, and how does it work?

AARON: There are several different types of well pumps, but the basic concept is always the same: well pumps have a power source that turns them on so they can, through mechanical suction, pump well water into the home and throughout the house. That water gets used for everything, it’s the water you drink, the water you bathe in, the water you use for your animals, everything! And it all comes straight from underground. That’s why it’s so critical that you have water treatment for well water. Natural well water, although typically less contaminated by chlorine and other chemicals, can be very hard.

QUESTION: You mentioned different types of well pumps, what are the differences?

AARON: Power sources is one typical difference. They make solar powered well pumps as well as electrical. Within the electrical well pump category there are different voltages ranging from 120 to 220V.

There are also different well pump shapes. Submersible well pumps hang down in the wells, anywhere from 100 to 600 feet is typical for wells in Durham, and these pumps pull the water up towards the house on-demand. Constant pressure systems are submersible pumps without pressure differential limits, which means that the pump is constantly applying pressure towards the house, ready for you to open a faucet. Then there jet pump systems that sit underneath the house with the pressure tanks attached.

JOHN: The well pump is above ground in that application.

AARON: That’s right, and they essentially suck water from the well into the home.

QUESTION: So I’m sure each of those systems has a set of advantages and disadvantages, but from your perspective is there one that is best for homeowners seeking well pumps in Durham?

JOHN: First of all, I think we should consider which well pump is most common here in Durham, and then we’ll decide which we think is best. Michael will walk you through that one.

MICHAEL: So here in Durham there are a lot of older homes, and older homes typically will have jet pumps. These well pumps are common in Durham, but tend to be rather outdated. Jet pumps need to be primed, and they aren’t always as efficient as alternatives, particularly older models. We get a lot of calls from homeowners in Durham with broken jet well pumps that aren’t delivering the proper pressure any more. The maintenance required is simple, but too frequent.

That’s why we recommend submersible well pumps instead. They require significantly less maintenance, and they’re perfect for homeowners looking for well pump installation for new constructions and replacements.

Look for the continuation of the interview in next week’s blog article, where we’ll focus on water treatment concerns for well water in Durham. Need well pump repair or well pump replacement for your Durham home, Call JD Service Now for service today!